The Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum traces its origins back to 1884. That year saw the formation of the Odontological Society of Victoria, which was the catalyst to transforming dental education in Victoria. Under the leadership of member and later president John Lliffe, the society worked assiduously—initially without government funding—to establish a dental hospital and college in Melbourne. In 1890, the Melbourne Dental Hospital commenced its activities, and the Australian College of Dentistry, dedicated to educating dentists, opened in 1897. Several years later, in 1904, a Faculty of Dental Science was established at the University of Melbourne, and thus the college became affiliated with the university.
In 1907, Frances Blanche ‘Fanny’ Gray (1884–1958) became the first woman to graduate with the University of Melbourne’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree. Chris Bourke, a proud Gamillaroi man graduated in 1982 becoming the first Indigenous dentist in Australia.
Importantly, The Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum is intrinsically linked to the formation of the society, which at its inception made provision for a library and museum. Those collections were given to the Australian College of Dentistry and exist today in the Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum. They cover the history and development of dentistry in Victoria and Australia, including the history of the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne.
The Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum collection has continued to grow due to the generosity of benefactors associated with the Melbourne Dental School. These include gifts from dental alumni, their families and many others have been crucial in building this valuable historical and cultural resource.
The partnership between the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch and the University of Melbourne Dental School continues with a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the maintenance of a high-quality historic display and the maintenance of a high-quality database and storage area for the ADAVB historic archive.
It is important to acknowledge the legacy of Professor Emeritus Atkinson (1912–2016) who the Museum was named after in 2006. Professor Henry Forman Atkinson, who held various positions at the University of Melbourne from 1953 to 2016 and was Dean of the Faculty of Dental Science from 1968 to 1978. While teaching at the Australian College of Dentistry Professor Atkinson developed an interest in the museum, and upon retirement he devoted his time to cataloguing the collection, researching and writing about the history of dentistry in Australia. He continued his involvement with the museum until his death on 5 January 2016.
Banner Image: HistoryGroup of students, c.1906, Faculty of Dental Science, photograph, 12.5 x 18.0 cm, Henry Forman Dental Museum, HFA1235.30